SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 338 Anganwadi Centres approved for upgradation under the Saksham Anganwadi component of Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, while Ladakh has 14 such centres, according to details placed before the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The figures were disclosed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Shrimati Savitri Thakur, in response to Unstarred Question No. 1067, “Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan Scheme 2.0”, raised by Shri Joyanta Basumatary and answered in the Lok Sabha on July 24, 2026.
The parliamentary reply, however, provides the number of Anganwadi Centres approved for upgradation and does not give a separate state-wise breakdown of how many of these centres have already completed modernisation or the status of individual basic facilities in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
According to Annexure-I of the reply, 338 Anganwadi Centres have been approved for upgradation in Jammu and Kashmir, placing the Union Territory among the smaller allocations compared with several larger states. Ladakh has 14 centres approved for upgradation.
Across the country, the highest number of Anganwadi Centres approved for upgradation was reported in Uttar Pradesh at 23,697, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 24,662 and Rajasthan with 3,514. Karnataka had 17,732, Jharkhand 16,775, Maharashtra 14,745, Gujarat 13,147, Odisha 12,140, Tamil Nadu 11,972, Bihar 11,529 and Chhattisgarh 11,490.
The annexure also lists 338 centres for Jammu and Kashmir, compared with 1,030 in Himachal Pradesh, 827 in Uttarakhand and 353 in Punjab. Ladakh’s allocation of 14 centres was lower than that of Chandigarh at 69 and Lakshadweep at 18, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands had 140 centres approved for upgradation.
The Ministry said Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is being implemented across all States and Union Territories, including the North-Eastern region, through a multi-sectoral approach involving 18 Ministries and Departments. The programme brings together Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls.
The beneficiaries covered under the Mission include children below six years of age, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 years in Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region.
The Ministry said State-Level Steering Committees and District Nutrition Committees have been constituted to coordinate the work of different departments and strengthen implementation and monitoring of the programme. The responsibility for implementing the Mission’s activities rests with the respective States and Union Territories.
The Government’s approach to tackling malnutrition, according to the reply, extends beyond food intake and also involves health, sanitation, safe drinking water and education. The Ministry said convergence between these sectors is being pursued to improve nutrition and child development outcomes.
Community mobilisation and awareness activities form a major part of the programme. States and Union Territories conduct sensitisation campaigns during Poshan Maah in September and Poshan Pakhwada in March-April. Anganwadi workers are required to organise two Community Based Events every month.
The reply stated that 10.5 crore Community Based Events had been conducted between 2018 and June 2026, while more than 150 crore Jan Andolan activities had been carried out since 2018 through 16 Jan Andolans.
The Ministry said details on Anganwadi Centre infrastructure, including the availability of buildings, drinking water and sanitation facilities, are available through the public dashboard of the Poshan Tracker application. It added that Anganwadi Workers, Block Coordinators and Supervisors have been provided smartphones to record beneficiary services and related data on the digital platform.
The parliamentary response did not provide separate figures for Jammu and Kashmir or Ladakh on the availability of electricity, digital infrastructure, drinking water, sanitation or buildings at individual Anganwadi Centres. Instead, it directed users to the Poshan Tracker dashboard for infrastructure-related details.
